Because Fandom Says So
by fireworksinthenight
Summary: Fandom says many things. Some are plausible, some are surprising, and a few are absurd. But all are fun to play with. Warning: implies that one or more characters could be OOC, depending on your headcanons. A collection of one-shots. Last one: Donnie has a bedroom like his three brothers, but it couldn't be less obvious.
1. Leo Can't Stop Training

_AN: A collection of oneshots prompted either by clichés or facts that blew out of proportion. This, of course, is merely my opinion and I respect every headcanon in this fandom. Be warned, I can make fun of things I respect._

 _I won't hesitate to go against my own headcanons, hence the 'out of character' warning._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles._

 _First prompt: Fandom Says… Leo Can't Stop Training (And Will Stop at Nothing to Achieve This Noble Goal)_

 _2012 turtles._

%%%%%

 **Leo Can't Stop Training**

"Leonardo!"

Donnie's roar echoed through the whole lair. In the living room, Raph and Mikey jumped, their video game forgotten. Mikey let go of his controller and hid between his brother's shell and the sofa.

"Not again," Raph sighed, exasperated. "That's what, the third time today?"

Mikey made a whimpering noise that Raph interpreted as a 'yes'.

"You're supposed to be bedridden!" Donnie was yelling from the dojo. "Not training! What if you worsen your injury?"

Leo's response was lost to Raph and Mikey.

"You could have thought that tying him up, locking his door _and_ gluing the lock would have kept him away from the dojo," Raph ranted. "The glue antidote was supposed to be in Donnie's lab! How did Leo manage to get away?"

Mikey made another whimpering noise.

"I know, I know, it's Leo, but still," Raph said, throwing up his arms. "I swear, the guy has magical powers!"

The red-clad turtle stood up, throwing his own controller on the floor. Mikey whined at losing his shield and grasped a cushion.

"Let's back Donnie up," Raph grumbled. "It's too bad Master Splinter won't be back before a few days, Leo would never have put any of this nonsense with Sensei in the lair!"

Ever so reluctantly, Mikey stood up too and followed his brother to the dojo. Donnie was still yelling at a not-so-sorry looking Leo, who was standing in the center of the room in a posture that favored his right leg.

"Leo, if you haven't decided to cooperate, I'll have to take even more drastic measures!" Donnie was saying.

"Donnie," Leo tried, "I'm feeling perfectly fine! I was just going through a few kata, nothing dangerous!"

"You. Should. Be. In. Bed!" Donnie shouted at the top of his voice, as if his point would get through his brother's thick skull if it was loud enough.

"Yeah, you really should, Leo," Raph interjected more calmly, placing himself at Donnie's right while Mikey took the left, not daring to look at Leo. "We understand your frustration, but you need to give your body time to heal!"

"You're one to talk," Leo replied flatly.

Raph let it slip. Like water over stone. Leo wasn't in his right mind anyways.

Donnie massaged his temples.

"Okay, guys," he finally said. "Let's get Leo back to his room."

"You're coming of your own free will or I carry you bridal-style?" Raph grinned at Leo.

Leo rolled his eyes.

"I'm coming," he grumbled.

Once in Leo's bedroom, the blue-clad turtle hopped to his bed and lay down sulkily.

"Do I have your word that you won't try to train again?" Donnie demanded of his blue-clad brother, his tone weary.

Leo shrugged noncommittally.

Donnie sighed.

"In that case… Raph, please search him for knives. Obviously Mikey forgot one or two last time."

"Hey!" Mikey protested.

Leo didn't resist and allowed his red-clad brother to retrieve three short blades from his wrappings.

"I'm tying you up again," Donnie warned. "More drastically. You've been warned."

And he was true to his word. When he was done, Leo looked more like a mummy than a turtle.

"Guys, this is ridiculous," Leo protested. "I can't even turn over! What if I need to move my leg?"

"You should have thought of that before," Donnie retorted. "And we'll free you for dinner, in not even an hour."

"Donnie, that's not like you to be so insensitive," Leo pleaded.

Donnie stopped dead in his tracks. Why did Leo have to make it so difficult? He was usually more reasonable. Maybe it was a side-effect of the painkillers he had given him. He would have to check the instructions.

… Was he too harsh on him? Leo's state didn't require constant monitoring, he just had to stay motionless for a while, and Donnie had tried to tie him up as comfortably as possible, he just didn't want his brother to worsen his injury, how could that be selfish of him? Of course Leo knew his own body, Donnie just wasn't sure that his judgement could be trusted right now, but what if it could and he, the improvised doctor, was making matters worse? And…

Raph shook his head.

"Oh no, you're not guilt-tripping Donnie when all he wants is to help you," he growled to Leo.

Bending over his brother, he slid his blue mask against his mouth, gagging him.

"There. Much better."

Leo looked daggers at him, but Raph merely grinned.

Donnie took a deep breath.

"Try to get some sleep, Leo," he pleaded. "Time will pass faster."

%%%%%

Mikey's senses were on alert as he picked Leo's lock. _Donnie's in the lab. Raph's watching TV. All clear._

The orange-clad turtle couldn't bear the idea of Leo being alone and tied up inside. He had to take a look at him and tell him that everything was going to be alright, that it was for his own good and it would soon be over, and Mikey was here for him and would order him his favorite pizzas, no problem…

The lock yielded. _At least this time Donnie didn't glue it,_ Mikey thought somberly. He didn't want to sneak in his brother's lab again while Donnie was inside. Last time had been a close one.

Opening the door, the short turtle entered quickly before closing it behind him.

"Leo?" He whispered.

Leo didn't answer. _That's right, he's gagged,_ Mikey remembered.

"I'm here, bro," he whispered, putting a hand on his brother's plastron. "I'm sorry about this, but we don't want you to aggravate your injury, do we?"

Leo narrowed his eyes at him. Mikey could only guess what he wanted to say. Suddenly, he was grateful that Leo couldn't speak. Last time, his brother had convinced Mikey to free him in no time, telling him that the mind was more important than the body and he would never be able to heal if he wasn't able to train, and Leo's voice had sounded so reasonable, so reassuring…

"It's okay, Leo," Mikey said, patting his brother's shell awkwardly because of the absurdity of this sentence – Leo was tied up and gagged and it was his brothers' fault, how could it be okay?

Leo's eyes shifted shapes and Mikey's widened. _Oh no. Not that, please._

His prayer went unanswered.

Mikey fidgeted, panicking. His three brothers agreed that his puppy-dog eyes were the best, the cutest, the most impossible to resist. He wouldn't know – he had tried to puppy-dog eye himself in front of the bathroom's mirror, but it had only given him a headache.

If he had been asked, Mikey would have said that _Leo's_ puppy-dog eyes were the best. Maybe it was because he almost never used them on his brothers – actually, Mikey wasn't sure that Leo had ever used them on someone else than him, and Splinter, but at least Splinter was immune most of the time… Or maybe it was because it was impossible to deny him anything when he looked so innocent, so _vulnerable_ … He was always so careful not to show any weakness…

"Leo, really, I shouldn't…" Mikey whispered weakly. "You heard what Donnie said…"

If it was possible, Mikey would have sworn that Leo's eyes had become more pleading.

"The guys will get suspicious," Mikey tried again, his throat hoarse. "You're completely tied up! Last time, you could still pretend to have a hidden knife, but now…"

A single tear escaped Leo's right eye. It trickled down his cheek and was soaked up by his blue mask. Mikey's heart stopped.

Before he had registered it, he was kneeling next to his brother's bed and untying the knots with shaking hands.

"You're not playing fair, Leo," Mikey whispered with a hint of reproach in his voice.

As soon as his arms were free, Leo untied the mask that Raph had used as a gag and put it back in its right place.

"I'm a ninja," he replied. "Ninja use every weapon in their arsenal to reach their goal. You know that."

Leo's eyes were shining with mischief and the orange-clad turtle resisted the urge to smack him, like Raph did to him when he was particularly annoying. Leo grinned at his brother, his expression all innocence once more, and Mikey sighed in defeat.

"Just don't injure yourself further," he whispered. "Please."

Leo sat on his bed.

"I won't," he whispered back. "I know what I'm doing."

"That's not what Donnie yelled."

"He worries too much," Leo retorted. "You should go back to the living room. I'll try another escape in a few minutes."

Mikey nodded and turned around, shoulders slumped.

Maybe he should tell Donnie that it was useless to bind Leo if he didn't blindfold him, too.

He heard movement behind him, and strong arms embraced his shell.

"And thanks, Mikey," Leo whispered, nuzzling his neck. "What would I do without you?"

Or rather not.


	2. Leo Breaks The Toaster

_AN: So, just in case it wasn't obvious: this fic doesn't take itself seriously. This author doesn't take themselves seriously. You've been warned._

 _Thanks for the support! I honestly didn't expect it on this little side project of mine._

 _000Marie198: Thank you! Leo as a fanfiction writer, uh? I'll keep that one in a corner of my mind and see what happens. And if you're tired of toasters, hum… Maybe you should skip that one._

 _LeggoLover99: Thank you! I had fun writing Leo like this. And we'll see what my crazy mind comes up with next..._

 _Jokermask18: Hey, why not? Maybe you'll come up with headcanons I hadn't noticed. No promises I'll write them, though._

 _ **Prompt n°2: Fandom Says… Leo Breaks The Toaster (Because This Ninja Can't Handle Kitchen Appliances)**_

… _Why, Fandom, why?_

 _Fandom says…_

 _Okay, okay. There it is, then! The Toaster Oneshot._

 _2012 turtles._

%%%%%

 **Leo Breaks The Toaster**

A distinctive smell of burned bread invaded the kitchen. The toaster moaned, whistled, and finally stood still.

Leo bit back a curse. What was happening to him? He had done exactly the same as Raph and Mikey, put his neatly cut slices of bread in the toaster and pushed the on/off button, like he had done hundreds of times before, but today – like yesterday and the day before – it hadn't worked.

As he unplugged the reluctant kitchen appliance, Leo wondered how he was going to explain that to Donnie. His purple-clad brother had insisted on him being extra careful with the delicate toaster last time he had repaired it.

What was wrong with him? He could handle all kinds of knives and blades with no problem, pick locks, skateboard through sewer tunnels, but apparently he had lost the skill to use a mere _toaster_?

As if to make his day worse, Master Splinter chose this moment to enter the kitchen in order to refill his teapot.

"Leonardo? What is the matter, my son?" The giant rat asked, whiskers twitching because of the unpleasant smell.

"Hi, Sensei," Leo answered sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I… uh…"

"Leo broke the toaster. Again," Raph helpfully and happily supplied between two mouthfuls of his perfectly toasted breakfast.

Leo blushed and bowed his head in shame, while Donnie came inside, tying up his purple mask with a yawn. His sleepy expression sharpened at the sight in front of him.

"Leo! Please tell me you didn't break the poor thing again!"

Leo fidgeted.

"Donnie, I'm sorry, I don't know what happened! I did exactly the same as Raph and Mikey!"

Donnie threw up his arms.

"Obviously you didn't," he retorted hotly. "And guess who will clean up your mess?"

"Donnie, I'm really sorry," Leo muttered.

"Leonardo, you know we can't afford to waste food," Splinter scolded him half-heartedly because his son already looked very subdued.

The blue-clad turtle sat down sadly.

"I know. I don't understand what has gotten into me," Leo whispered.

Mikey put a soothing and sticking-with-jam hand on his brother's shoulder.

"We still have some cereals, bro," he offered.

Donnie glared at Leo and brought the toaster to his lab with careful, gentle gestures. Leo sighed.

%%%%%

A week later, Leo's relationship with the toaster hadn't got any better. No matter how carefully he used the toaster, it always ended up broken. He was now officially banned from using this kitchen appliance, which hadn't prevented the cursed thing to almost blow up in his mere presence – at least that's what Leo pretended.

Raph and Mikey found it immensely funny, while Donnie was complaining that if he had to repair the thing one more time, he would blast it himself.

Splinter couldn't decide if his blue-clad son was telling the truth or if he had tried once again to use the toaster. In doubt, he had settled for replacing some of Leo's TV time with meditation in order to help his son focus better.

The ninja master merely hoped that Donatello wouldn't follow through with his threat.

%%%%%

Mikey was sympathizing with Donnie. The genius was already doing so much for them, he could understand that he was getting tired of repairing that toaster again and again.

After the last debacle, Raph had offered to take Leo for a run in the sewers – after he had rolled on the floor laughing for a good five minutes, that is. Leo definitely looked like he needed to unwind.

Mikey decided to check on Donnie. For a change, he didn't jump inside his brother's lab but entered it with extreme caution, careful not to make any noise, so he could leave if it looked like the genius didn't want company.

The sight that greeted him was puzzling.

In front of his desk where an opened toaster lay, Donnie, screwdriver in hand, was cackling with glee.

"Donnie?"

Said brother jumped.

"Mikey! I told you to always knock! You don't know what I could be doing!"

"That's for sure, bro. I thought you hated repairing that thing!"

Donnie coughed, embarrassed. He hadn't wanted to share his secret with Mikey, but what was the point of being a criminal mastermind if you couldn't boast? Besides, if his brother couldn't be trusted with nice things, he could definitely be trusted with secrets.

"I'm not merely repairing it, Mikey," Donnie whispered confidentially. "I'm tinkering with it. Powering it up. Adding cameras and motion sensors…"

Donnie winked at Mikey, who looked at him with perplexity.

"Why would a toaster need cameras and motion sensors?"

"So it can react if a particular turtle comes close to it…" Donnie said, emphasizing his words with more blinks.

Mikey tilted his head.

"It's a toaster, Donnie," he said softly. "It doesn't care who comes close to it, you know?"

Donnie shook his head, irritated.

"Really? Haven't you noticed anything at all?"

Mikey frowned, and then there was light.

"Dude… you… trapped it? So it would react to Leo?"

Donnie nodded with pride.

"Wow, dude, this is the best prank ever!" Mikey said enthusiastically. "But aren't you afraid he'll find out?"

"Mikey, I'm the one repairing it every single time," Donnie chuckled. "I'm above all suspicion."

"Wow. But… why?"

Donnie pointed an accusative finger at Mikey.

"He made fun of me. During training."

Mikey blinked.

"That's it? But Raph makes fun of you all the time!"

"Exactly. It's to be expected. Leo, however, is supposed to know better."

"Dude, remind me never to get on your bad side," Mikey said, in awe.

%%%%%

"Hey, Leo, stop brooding over," Raph said, nudging his brother. "So what if you can't handle a toaster? We all have our weaknesses."

Raph's supporting words were somewhat ruined by his huge grin, and Leo glared at him.

"Raph, it's not funny!" Leo exclaimed, exasperated. "I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"Oh, it _is_ funny, Leo, I assure you. Except maybe for you… and Donnie…"

Leo sighed.

"Let's just tell Donnie about the collapsed tunnel, okay? See if we need to interfere."

As the two brothers came back into the lair, much earlier than they had intended to, they heard laughter coming from the lab.

Raph raised an eye ridge.

"Forget about what I just said. Apparently, it's funny for Donnie too."

Leo narrowed his eyes and glanced at his sibling. Both nodded and came silently closer to the lab door in order to spy on the ongoing conversation.

Raph's eyes widened as he understood what it was all about. Glancing at Leo, he saw his brother's features switch from disbelief to shocked realization, then to sheer fury. He grinned and took a careful step back as his brother slowly slid the lab door open and advanced towards Donnie.

"Hello, brother," Leo said very slowly, very calmly, very _threateningly_ as he pressed his hands down on Donnie's desk. "I think we need to talk."

Donnie gulped. This couldn't be good.

%%%%%

In the dojo, Splinter let out a deep breath at the sounds of chasing and crashes. Why couldn't Michelangelo stop teasing Raphael? Why couldn't Raphael let it slip for once? All he, Splinter, wanted was some peace and quiet. Was it too much to ask for?

"I'm going to crush you!" The unmistakable voice of his blue-clad son shouted.

"Leo, no! I'm sorry!" Donatello's panicked voice answered.

Splinter's eyes popped open. He hadn't expected these two to cause the rampage. If it had been an explosion, then of course he would have suspected Donnie, but that… Although he had a sneaky suspicion Leo's sudden inability to handle a certain kitchen appliance had just been explained…

He heard another crash.

"How could you, Donnie? I trusted you!"

"I'm sorryyyyyy! It was so much fun, but I'm really regretting it now! Have mercyyyy!"

 _Bump. Crash._

"Come back here, you traitor! I'm not done with you!"

"Oooh, nice move, Leo!" Raphael said. From what Splinter heard, the red-clad turtle was enjoying this far too much. "I'll definitely have to try it one day!"

Splinter hid his head in his hands, sighing. He could see a lesson on the inanity of vengeance and the importance of forgiveness in his sons' near future, after a thorough refurbishment of the living room.

Oh well…

At least he wouldn't be afraid anymore that Leonardo set the lair on fire.


	3. Raph and Leo Always Fight

_AN: *dusts the one-shot collection* Heeeey! Long time no see!_

 _So I had begun answering reviews in the author's notes, but as I'm apparently going to be very irregular, I'll reply to them directly from now on._

 _Thanks to everybody who suggested ideas! I'm keeping a list. (No guarantee I'll write them, of course - inspiration is a temperamental being.)_

 _Oh, and remember: not serious._

 _ **Prompt n°3: Fandom Says… Raph and Leo Always Fight (Like Always Always Always)**_

 _Emphasis on "Always"._

 _2012 turtles._

%%%%%

"You're the worst leader in the history of worst leaders!" Raph shouted.

"If you weren't so bad at taking orders, this would have gone without a glitch!" Leo shouted back.

Both brothers were forehead against forehead, each trying to push the other back. At a safe distance, Donnie and Mikey were watching them in exasperation. They had given up on trying to interfere. Leo and Raph had always liked to tease and annoy each other, but until recently it had been playful.

Now they were at each other's throat almost all the time.

Splinter, annoyed by the ruckus that prevented him from meditating with dignity, as a ninja master like him was supposed to, stealthily entered the living room to watch the scene.

Well, considering how Leo and Raph's focus was solely on each other, stealth might have been unnecessary.

"I'm bad at taking orders because you're bad at giving them!"

"You're not even trying!"

Splinter massaged his aching temples with two long fingers before raising his fatherly voice.

"Enough!"

Leo and Raph froze like mooses in the headlights and risked a cautious glance at their father, both wearing the same sheepish expression.

"Donatello, Michelangelo, what happened?" Splinter asked his two other sons - way more gently.

Donnie shrugged.

"I don't know. It wasn't even that bad. I mean, we did put the Purple Dragons on the run."

"Yeah, they're being unreasonable," Mikey complained, crossing his arms.

Splinter stroked his beard.

"Hmm. Raphael, Leonardo, come with me," he demanded.

Both turtles obediently followed their father into the dojo.

"You're toast," Mikey whispered as they walked past him, attracting himself a twin glare.

It went without saying that Donnie and Mikey settled themselves right behind the dojo's door, ready to watch their father wipe the floor with their brothers - but to their surprise, Splinter's face went from exasperation to annoyance, then became expressionless as the conversation with Leo and Raph went on. He made no move to throw his sons across the room or do anything else that would have been fun to witness.

Besides, their voices were too low and Donnie and Mikey couldn't hear what was being said.

"How disappointing," Mikey muttered, expressing aloud what they were both thinking.

When Leo and Raph left the dojo, followed by Splinter, they didn't say a word to the others and went straight to their rooms.

"They're going to be fine," Splinter said reassuringly to his two remaining sons. "We talked this out."

Donnie and Mikey shared a skeptical look.

%%%%%

From Donnie and Mikey's point of view, Splinter had been mistaken. There was no improvement.

If anything, it was becoming worse. After all, you would believe that the middle of a battle against some of your fiercest enemies wasn't the right place to fight with your own brother, right?

Right.

"Do you think you're better than me?" Raph shouted.

"I'm more diligent than you, that's for sure! You hothead!" Leo exclaimed.

"Uh, guys? Could we focus on retrieving this dangerous flamethrower from Fishface, please?" Donnie asked, very politely, as Leo and Raph glared at each other.

"Yes," Xever answered, annoyed. "I feel sidelined."

"I'll show you just how good I am!" Raph exclaimed, throwing one of his sai past Leo's head. It embedded itself next to Bradford, who didn't even protest, too engrossed in the show.

"Alright, don't mind us." Xever rolled his eyes. "We're only your enemies after all. Your dangerously weaponized enemies."

"I'm ready for you!" Leo pushed his brother back. Both collided with Xever, who let go of his weapon with an indignant yelp.

"Sorry about that." Mikey sighed. "Maybe next time they'll be more up to it."

Leo and Raph were now rolling away in a brutal tangle of limbs. With a last apologetic shrug, Donnie went after them, closely followed by Mikey.

It was only after they had disappeared behind the alleyway corner that Xever noticed the absence of his precious flamethrower.

%%%%%

"Dudes, I'm exhausted." Mikey yawned exaggeratedly to show his disapproval. "I'm going to take a nap."

"Suit yourself, Mikey," Leo answered from the driver's seat. His tone was insanely joyful for somebody who had just been in a major fight with one of his brothers. "Excellent job, guys! We were successful tonight."

Donnie shook his head in disbelief. "Really? I wouldn't have put it that way. To me, it was more like a disgraceful display. I'm ashamed to have even witnessed it. What are you going to tell Splinter?"

Raph smirked.

"Oh, I don't know," he answered, picking up something at his feet. "Maybe that we retrieved this flamethrower with no casualties, and our enemies none the wiser?"

Donnie's eyes widened. "What? When did you take that?" He immediately grasped the flamethrower and began to inspect it. Raph cautiously moved out of the line of fire.

"I can't believe you managed to pick that up," Donnie muttered. "It's almost as if it was planned all along."

Raph rolled his eyes.

"Of course it was planned," he whispered, too low for Donnie to hear. "And of course they fell for it - why wouldn't they? _You_ fall for it all the time."

Unfortunately for him, Mikey wasn't as out of it as he had pretended, and he was closer to Raph. His eyes snapped open.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you planned this?"

Leo glanced at him.

"Maybe?" He suggested, hiding a smile.

Donnie immediately understood, and he almost let go of the flamethrower.

"What? This was all an elaborated scheme?"

"Yes," Raph answered with great satisfaction. "My favorite kind of scheme."

"But… but…" Donnie shook his head wildly. Mikey cautiously took the flamethrower away from him, just in case. "It sounded so real!"

"Well, it wasn't improvised," Raph conceded. "We haven't reached that stage yet."

Donnie looked at him with his most deadpan expression.

"Are you implying that your conversation… It was _scripted_? You _rehearsed_ your insults?"

Raph lifted a know-it-all finger, his expression deadly serious. Except for his mischievous eyes, of course.

"Training is key, Donnie," he said, in an excellent imitation of Splinter. Or Leo.

"You're kidding me," Donnie uttered.

"Remember what Splinter said two weeks ago?" Leo told him, trying to keep the smugness he felt from showing in his tone.

"When he told us to turn our strengths into weaknesses?" Mikey offered.

"Our weaknesses into strengths," Leo corrected him. "But yes, that's the idea."

Donnie made a disgusted little noise. Raph smirked and crossed his arms behind his head. He hadn't meant to reveal this to Donnie and Mikey so soon, but it was totally worth it.

%%%%%

Leo leaned against the sewer wall, one leg hanging from each side of the sewer pipe.

"Bring it in, Raph. What else have you got?"

Raph smiled and produced a battered leather notebook.

"I have a lot of ideas. Spike helped too."

"Spike is a pet turtle. Only a moron would believe that he…"

"Leo, it's my turn," Raph frowned, mildly annoyed.

"You're right. My apologies." Leo smiled sheepishly. "I'm listening."

Raph cleared his throat.

"Okay. So, first one: Leo, you're an insufferable son of a…"

Leo cut him short.

"Nuh-uh. We said not Splinter, remember?"

Raph blushed, realizing what the insult meant.

"Oh! Oh, no. Uh, sorry." He sighed. "It's a pity, though. It has a nice ring to it."

Leo pretended to be lost in thought.

"Well, I guess you could always say that I'm an insufferable brother of a…"

Raph nudged him with enough strength to make him almost lose his balance. Leo laughed and grasped his brother's arms before sliding on the side to hang upside-down, his legs crossed around the pipe. His momentum brought Raph with him. The red-masked turtle yelped and clasped Leo's wrists, looking up to playfully glare at his brother.

"Oh, you don't want to play nice?"

Swinging his legs, he reestablished his balance on the pipe and began pulling on his brother's feet in the hope of making him fall in the sewer water pool meters below.

On the side of said sewer water pool, Mikey was watching them morosely.

"I wonder what they're telling each other."

Donnie shrugged and kept scavenging.

"They're _training_ , I guess," he deadpanned.

He had gotten used to the idea that Leo and Raph had no intention of stopping their exchanges of blows and insults. Somehow, they had even managed to convince Splinter that it was a useful addition to their ninja arsenal.

Mikey pouted. Donnie lifted an eye ridge at him.

"What's the matter, Mikey? You want to join them?" He chuckled. "You know, they're going to fall every second in this disgusting sewer water. Do you want me to describe what's inside? You know it gives you nightmares."

"Nooo, thank you, Donnie," Mikey interrupted him. "It's just…"

"It's just what?" Donnie prodded.

Mikey pointed a vengeful finger at the two turtles fighting on their pipe, his expression gloomy.

"I'm supposed to be the immature one, not them!"


	4. Donnie Falls Asleep in his Lab

_Author's Note: This time, Donnie has the dubious honor to be in the spotlight._

 _ **Prompt n°4 : Donnie Falls Asleep in his Lab (Does this Turtle Even Have a Bedroom?)**_

 _2012 turtles. Set when the turtles are younger._

 _To the Guest: Thank you so much for your review! I'm delighted to hear that. :D_

%

It was another early morning in the lair, and Splinter was thoroughly enjoying the quiet as he walked through his home. His sons were still sound asleep, each in his respective room.

…

Each in his respective room?

No. Splinter's sensitive ears could hear the soft breathing of one of his sons, and it wasn't coming from his room. It was coming from his lab.

Again.

Careful not to make any noise, Splinter pushed open the door of Donnie's laboratory and came inside. Sure enough, Donnie was sprawled on his desk, cheek against his computer's keyboard and a pen trapped in his right hand.

"Will require more calculations… More… More…" he was mumbling in his sleep.

Splinter sighed. His son was going to be tired during training, not to mention his sleeping position was nothing but uncomfortable, and would give his muscles cramps.

Besides, it was premeditated: his son had set an alarm. It was put close to his head, as if Donnie didn't trust himself to hear it if it wasn't in his immediate vicinity.

With soft gestures, Splinter replaced Donnie's laptop by a pillow. He tried to take his son's pen, but Donnie's fingers closed even tighter around it, as if it was a cuddly toy.

"Sleep tight, my son," he whispered, even though Donnie had barely half an hour left before his alarm rang.

He had told Donnie over and over that a healthy sleeping pattern was essential to his well-being, but if his son obeyed for a day or too, he quickly came back to his old habits.

It couldn't go on like this.

%

That day, Splinter gathered Leo, Raph and Mikey in the dojo. Donnie was happily tinkering in his lab, oblivious to his father's intentions.

"I give you permission to do everything you see fit to bring Donatello back on a healthier sleeping pattern," Splinter said to his sons, knowing perfectly well that he was inviting chaos in his house.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, and besides, he had renewed his supply of earplugs.

%

They began slowly by asking Donnie why he didn't want to sleep in his room. Donnie blushed hard and pretended that he was too engrossed in his various experiments to be interested in something as menial as sleep and categorically refused to listen to his brothers' arguments.

"You cannot make the mule drink when he is not thirsty." Mikey gave a heavy sigh.

"Excuse me, who are you calling a mule? I'm a proud terrapin," Donnie answered pointedly, and he threw them out.

As reason hadn't worked, they tried sheer force. That night, when the time came for the turtles to go to bed, Raph, Leo and Mikey sneaked up on Donnie and dragged him to his room.

"You can lead me to bed, but you can't make me sleep!" Donnie shouted, his arms and legs kicking.

And he was true to his word. As his brothers stood guard on his door to make sure he didn't go back to his lab, he took revenge on them by singing the periodic table. All night.

"Can I knock him off?" Raph pleaded, as Donnie was chanting the merits of noble gas for the thirteenth time that night.

Leo shook a weary head. "He'll get tired before we do. You just have to hold on a little longer," he encouraged, stifling his doubts.

Raph and Mikey watched him with dubious expressions.

Next morning, Splinter had to train four exhausted turtles, three of them being particularly grumpy and the fourth wearing a smug expression despite the dark rings under his eyes.

%

That first night had been a declaration of war, and skirmish after skirmish took place. Donnie was winning with flying colors, but Raph, Leo and Mikey weren't going to give up.

They only tried the sleeping pills once - Donnie retaliated with no TV or hot water, and it was more than they could take.

Mikey tried to sing him lullabies, but he fell asleep before Donnie did, and they found him in his lab the next morning.

It went really out of control when Donnie created a clone to deceive his family into thinking he was asleep in his room, while he was tinkering with his latest project in the garage.

After that, Leo, Raph and Mikey decided that if Donnie didn't want to come to his bed, his bed would come to him. They brought said furniture in their brother's lab, and it took centre stage among Donnie's machines. The compromise worked fine for a while, until Donnie accidentally set fire to the blankets and Splinter exercised his veto.

The turtles were back to the beginning.

%

It was Mikey who finally found a solution. One day, he came to Raph and Leo with a huge smile, an old book in his arms. Leo read the title with intense curiosity.

"Hypnosis for Dummies?" He raised an eye ridge, not really wanting to know how such a book had come into his brother's possession.

"I've been studying it," Mikey said proudly. "I'm sure we can use it to help Donnie."

"To force him to go to bed?" Raph tilted his head. "Eh, why not. At that stage…" He shrugged.

"Are you crazy?" Leo protested. "Donnie will notice, and I don't want to miss another week of Space Heroes because he's mad at me."

Mikey shook his head. "No, not to force him. It's to ask him what's truly going on. He's hiding something from us, I know it."

Leo and Raph shared a look. They had the same conviction.

The next evening, Mikey prepared a magic show that Donnie attended to. Donnie was happy enough not to be Mikey's assistant for the let's-cut-this-turtle-in-two part of the show - Raph had the honor - that he didn't protest when Mikey asked him to participate in the hypnosis experiment.

"And now, you're only listening to my voice," Mikey chanted. "My voice. My voiiiiiice."

"It's never going to work," Raph whispered.

"We're desperate, remember?" Leo whispered back. "So why not?"

And indeed, Donnie's eyes soon became fixated and his body straightened up.

"Why don't you sleep in your room?" Mikey asked slowly.

"It's too quiet," Donnie answered in a robotic voice. "My lab is never silent."

And it was true. Donnie always had a machine working and his computing equipment was running twenty-four seven - not to mention the occasional explosion.

"Why is it a problem?"

"I'm not used to silence. It was never silent when we slept together."

Mikey, Raph and Leo blinked. It was true that they didn't sleep in the same room anymore, but they would never have guessed that Donnie was missing it. He had been happy to finally have his own room.

"Aww, Donnie. Do you miss the good old times?" Mikey smiled fondly.

Hypnotized Donnie shook his head. "Mikey moves all the time. Raph's feet smell. Leo takes all the blankets."

His three brothers exchanged embarrassed glances.

"But you miss the noise," Leo said.

Donnie didn't react.

"It has to be my voice, Leo," Mikey whispered. "Do you miss the noise?" he added for Donnie.

"Yes," Donnie admitted.

"Hmm." Leo tapped his fingers together. "Wake him up, Mikey, I think I have an idea."

%

It took the three brothers one week to prepare their gift for Donnie. Leo and Mikey registered all the sounds they could: the humming and buzzing of the lab of course, but also Mikey and Raph's snores as well as the shuffling of Leo's blankets. They added a few conversations and the occasional argument. Then Raph mixed the different sounds to create the perfect lullaby for Donnie.

When they were ready, they enlisted Splinter's help so their father would order Donnie to sleep in his room that night. Donnie shrugged and obeyed, expecting not to find sleep.

As soon as he was lying on his mattress, his brothers played back the recording. Donnie's eyes widened as he realized what they had done, and he chuckled. Then he found himself relaxing in his own room for the first time in weeks, and a few minutes later, he was sound asleep.

"Sweet dreams, Donnie," three soft voices whispered - fond, victorious, and extremely relieved voices.

Donnie smiled in his sleep.


End file.
